The stories of HeroicStories.
by Luella
City and State Withheld, USA
It’s a very small town, populated by a lot of elderly widows — the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else and there are very few secrets. When a comparatively young woman and her husband moved to town, they were of considerable interest to everyone because they were so very different from the life-long citizens.
By “Bill”
Austin, Texas, USA
I opened the door to the back stairs from the kitchen of the house where I lived in Worcester, Massachusetts, back around 1975. I smelled smoke. This wasn’t your ordinary somebody’s-cooking-burgers-on-the-grill kind of smoke.
by Sally M. Via
Countryside, Illinois, USA
It was around 1955 when we were living in rural Hewett, West Virginia, that my oldest brother, Jimmy Nichols, became my hero. Jimmy was 11 or 12 years old and was riding his bicycle, passing by the local beer joint in Hewett, when he heard a loud thundering noise and glanced around to discover an unoccupied coal truck, partially loaded with coal, barreling down a small hill directly toward the beer joint full of men. Some were locals, some were coal miners who had stopped on their way home from a hard day at the mines to grab a cold beer.
Amy K. Brown
Everett, Washington, USA
My husband, our then 2-year-old son, and I had just come out of our local grocery store late one evening in November 1998. The cart was full, it was pouring freezing rain, and we desperately wanted nothing more than to get baby and groceries home and dry.
by Bonny Yegon
Kenya
In April of 2001, I was pick-pocketed in Nairobi, Kenya, and I lost not only a very expensive phone but also all my contacts. I reported the matter to the police station because I knew my phone had a phone tracker and could be tracked.
by Mike Gallagher
Florida, USA
About 1976 my family and I left North Georgia to spend Christmas in Orlando, Florida. We were driving a 1972 Audi sedan, which was comfortable for us with our two children, 10 and 12 years old. The car developed what sounded like an engine miss, so I stopped several times to check under the hood. Except for a worn spark plug wire I could find no problems.
by Annginette Anderson Moos
Vermont, USA
In 1992 I was a graduate student majoring in health care management. We were preparing for careers like hospital administration or pharmaceutical marketing. Our department arranged a weekly “shadowing” opportunity, where students spent the day with a physician, nurse, or health professional in a clinical setting.
by Seth Gwinn
Nebraska, USA
In August of 2003, my family was traveling to Nebraska from Branson, Missouri. After a short vacation, my wife, Jan, our two daughters, ages 9 and 8, and I were on our way back home.
by Chris Wilson
Los Gatos, California, USA
Our family moved from Scotland to Virginia when I was seven years old. My father is an avid golfer so one day shortly after our arrival we went to the driving range. While he was busy hitting golf balls, I was busy exploring the area like any normal 7-year-old.
by Angel Torres
Florida, USA
In December 2005 I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. I was a Marine being deployed for seven months to Iraq, given leave to come home before going to the desert. It’s an 18-hour flight from Okinawa to the U.S. I had to catch a different flight in Houston, Texas to Miami, my destination.